Written by Boca Beacon on . Posted in Education, Letters to the Editor.
BY CHRISTINE OLIVER Our beautiful Gasparilla Island, including Boca Grande and The Island School, has faced immense challenges in the wake of these back-to-back storms. While the facility and staff continue to navigate these challenges, we would like to provide an update on The Island School’s recovery and the steps being taken to return to […]
Written by Garland Pollard on . Posted in Community, Editorial.
This week, the Engineering Committee of the Gasparilla Island Bridge Authority met to talk about the cost of the damage to the bridge during Helene and Milton. We will have extensive details about those needed repairs next week; they have a long list of short-term and long-term items, but the good news is that the […]
Written by Garland Pollard on . Posted in News.
Lee County Solid Waste asks Boca Grande residents to set all Hurricane Milton sand debris curbside by Friday, Nov.29. Collections will begin on Saturday, Nov. 30 and may take several days to complete. If you live in an area where sand is still being collected, be sure to place sand correctly to ensure crews can […]
Written by Boca Beacon on . Posted in Community History.
BY MARILYN HOECKEL A story from 1989 detailed some of the biggest storms to hit Boca Grande Editor’s note: This was from an Aug. 4, 1989 edition of the Boca Beacon. There are five big storms that seem to stand out in the memories of Gasparilla Island residents. The years of those storms are 1910, […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in News, Real Estate.
Florida Insurance Commissioner Mike Yaworsky is encouraging policyholders to reach out directly to the Office of Insurance Regulation (OIR), if consumers impacted by recent storms receive a notice of nonrenewal or notice of cancellation that may have taken effect or will take effect between Sept. 26 until Dec. 10. Emergency orders are in place that […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Featured News, News.
Crews hired by Lee County cleaned up downtown Boca Grande last weekend. But in the wake of the improvement downtown, residential trash on the island appears to have exploded all along Gasparilla Road and Gulf Boulevard. “Lee County Solid Waste is aware of the ‘second wave’ of debris set out, as residents return and hire […]
Written by Anna Ridilla on . Posted in Featured News, News.
With flooding damage, group reviews construction plans Remediation of the Boca Grande Community Center from Hurricanes Milton and Helene will continue into 2025. The Crowninshield House will likely house all season programming in March and April, according to Friends of Boca Grande. Friends met on Zoom for its 37th annual meeting on Friday, Nov. 8. […]
Written by Boca Beacon Reader on . Posted in Community, Letters to the Editor.
To the editor: My letter is written in response to an article written by Jay Feinberg and Cookie Potter. In recent months there have been many concerns about the parking situation on Boca. Simply put, there just isn’t enough! Many solutions have been proposed including parking meters and meter maids. In the Boca Beacon’s Sept. […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in News, Sports & Outdoors.
On Banyan Street the leaves have returned, and trees closest to Park Avenue seem to be in full recovery. After Hurricane Milton, Lee County cleaned around the trees, and also hand-watered them through its emergency water trucks. Across the island, many street and parkland trees are still a mess, where there are huge washouts. Misty […]
Written by Garland Pollard on . Posted in Editorial.
It seems everyone on island is in hyper-reality mode: brutal honesty about everything, and a sort of practical determination to get things back to normal. As a newspaper, this kind of civic mood is rare. Now, everyone will tell you exactly what they think – no filters, except at Grande Aire. It takes three storms, […]